


Hold On Tightly

by TayTay4936



Series: The Brewer-Rose Collection [6]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Foster Care, Future Fic, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-27 01:28:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18728920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TayTay4936/pseuds/TayTay4936
Summary: It started not long after they got married. David and Patrick were both on speakerphone with Patrick’s parents when Marcy made the first comment.“When are we going to get grandchildren? We’re not getting any younger, you know.”





	Hold On Tightly

**Author's Note:**

> I'm alive!! Thank you so much for your patience everyone. I truly hope this doesn't disappoint. I had an unexpected surgery at the end of February, which had a complication later on, my computer crashed and I lost all my files, I went to visit family, and finally got my computer back a couple weeks ago...with all my files gone. So, again, thank you so much for sticking with me. I hope you enjoy this. It was tough to put into words so I hope I did it justice.

It started not long after they got married. David and Patrick were both on speakerphone with Patrick’s parents when Marcy made the first comment.

“When are we going to get grandchildren? We’re not getting any younger, you know.”

She laughed as she finished her sentence, but both David’s and Patrick’s eyes grew wide and they stared at each other. They hadn’t talked about kids much aside from the occasional comment about David’s distaste for babies and Patrick’s belief that teenagers were the devil.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, Mom,” Patrick answered once he recovered. They ended the call not long after, both eyeing each other uneasily. Finally, Patrick broke the silence.

“We’ll talk about it when the time comes, okay? Don’t stress about some offhand comment my mother made.”

David silently nodded, still a bit on edge. Patrick was able to ultimately distract him with food, asking what he wanted for dinner.

That conversation with Patrick’s mother seemed to be the catalyst, as it seemed almost immediately, people began asking them about children. From Jocelyn to Twyla to even Ronnie. Thankfully, the Roses seemed to be the only people wise enough to not broach the subject.

It finally became too much and they knew they had to talk about it. One night after they closed the store, they went home, opened a bottle of wine, and made themselves comfortable on the couch.

“Okay, so,” David began. “I know you want kids, and you would obviously be an amazing dad, but I just…I don’t have that same confidence in myself. I didn’t exactly have exemplary parenting role models growing up, and you know I’m not the best with kids.” He briefly lifted his eyes to meet Patrick’s. “And the thought of fucking up our own kid…your kid…somehow,” he swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat. “That thought is too much to bear.”

There was silence once he was finished, so David had no choice but to look up at Patrick, who was looking at him with a mix of emotions on his face. It was a combination of confusion, understanding, and sadness, but the sadness seemed to be _for_ David, rather than towards him.

“Why do you assume I want kids?” Patrick asked, the confusion more pronounced on his face now.

David was caught off guard. That was not the question he was expecting. “I mean…I, I guess I just assumed? I mean, you reek of ‘baseball dad’ and I can picture if you had stayed with Rachel, you would have had the white picket fence and the 2.5 kids.”

“David,” Patrick sighed. “If you remember, I found that life so suffocating, not to mention inauthentic, that I packed up and left, unsure of where I was even going. That life wasn’t for me and you know that.

When I think about my dream life, there’s you, our home, and our store. When I think about it with or without kids, it’s still perfect and still all I could ever want. I appreciate you saying that you think I would make a good dad, but David, you would make an incredible dad.” He hurried to continue as he watched his husband roll his eyes. “You would, David. You’re caring and protective and loyal. I know you like to downplay your childhood a lot, but I know that if it wasn’t for you, Alexis may not even be here today, and if she was, she would be a lot more damaged. You protected and cared for her your whole life; you practically raised her. And you’re so willing to do whatever it takes for the people you care about. From your sister to your parents to Stevie, and of course me. You’re so good to me, David. And I know you would be an amazing dad to whatever potential children we have.”

David looked down quickly, wiping the tears that had begun to flood his face. Patrick always seemed to know how to squeeze his heart.

Patrick watched his husband process everything he had just said, a soft smile on his face. He knew it was a lot for David to hear, but it was a truth he felt David needed to know, whether they ever had kids or not.

David eventually composed himself enough, curling into Patrick. They held each other silently before David finally spoke.

“Let’s take some time. We don’t need to rush into anything, and I’d like to be a bit more financially secure before we dove in head first.” He smiled to himself. “Plus, I’d like to just be able to appreciate having my husband to myself for a while.”

Patrick was shocked David was even willing to consider the possibility. He gave his husband a squeeze, nuzzling into his neck.

“We can take as much time as we need.”

***

It ended up being almost 3 years before they broached the topic of kids again. David was still anxious about messing the kid up somehow.

“We could always foster,” Patrick mentioned one day. “We could foster a child who needs a home and that would give us a good idea of whether or not parenting was for us.”

David supported this idea, so they began their research, which ultimately led them to an agency in Elmdale. They took the required classes, filled out the paperwork, made sure the house was perfect for the home study, and figured out references. There was some debate about who they trusted to actually put down. They knew Patrick’s parents were a given, but they weren’t sure about anyone else. They ultimately settled on Stevie as well as Alexis and Ted and just hoped for the best.

All of their hard work and diligence paid off and they were eventually approved to become foster parents. As they were filling out the final paperwork, which included preferences for the types of children they would be interested in fostering, they had some decisions to make.

Race, religion, and gender didn’t matter to them, but the big question was age. They both felt guilty voicing their preferences out loud, but they knew it was for the best in the long run.

“I just can’t see myself with a baby. I’m sorry. Also, from a practicality standpoint, a baby essentially requires one of us to be home with it 24/7, at least for a while, and I don’t know if we can handle that with the store.”

“And I know this sounds horrible,” Patrick began, “since so many teenagers need homes, but I want a child we can raise, that can truly be ours,” he looked down in shame.

David caught on instantly and tried his best to lighten the mood. “Plus, you’re still traumatized about those kids robbing the store, aren’t you?”

His words had the desired effect, causing Patrick to laugh.

They ultimately decided on ages 2-9.

Now all they had to do was wait.

***

It wasn’t long before they got the call.

There was a little girl their caseworker thought was perfect for them. She had just turned 3. Her mother was a young, single woman with no family to speak of. She had sadly died in an accident a few months after the girl was born. The little girl had been in the system ever since. Her father had been a one-night stand and had never been in the picture at all. She had already been passed around to two different foster families and the caseworker was hopeful David and Patrick would be the perfect fit for her.

The day of Malia’s arrival, David and Patrick were both wracked with nerves. They had checked the house over time and again, making sure everything was perfect. When the doorbell rang, they looked at each other, silently taking one another’s hands and squeezing as they both let out calming breaths.

This was it.

They opened the door and were greeted by their caseworker, Jenna, who was clutching the hand of the little girl trying her best to hide behind the woman’s legs.

“Hey, you two. Come on in,” Patrick greeted with a smile, doing his best to try to keep his nerves at bay.

They all made their way into the living room, where Jenna made introductions.

“Malia?” she began softly. “This is David and Patrick. They are going to be your new foster parents. They’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

Without thinking, David knelt down to the girl’s level. He saw her peek one eye out from behind Jenna. He stuck his hand out in an overly formal gesture.

“Hi, Malia,” he greeted with a smile. “I’m David. I’m so happy to meet you.”

Malia looked at the hand in surprise before hesitantly reaching out to take it. David gently shook her hand, watching some of the tension leave her tiny shoulders.

“You’re warm,” she stated simply, a look of reserved awe on her face. This gave David the encouragement to smile wider. “Thank you.”

Her eyes grew big as she watched Patrick kneel down next to David. David didn’t miss how her hand squeezed his a bit tighter. He made sure to keep his reassuring smile.

“This is my husband, Patrick.” Patrick made a small bow of his head before sticking his own hand out. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, m’lady.”

This made Malia laugh, finally releasing her tight hold on David’s hand.

They gave her a tour of their home, including the room they had set up for her. Jenna had told them that the girl loved purple and stories, so David had designed the room accordingly, with various shades of purple, twinkling fairy lights on the ceiling, and a set-up in the corner with a bookshelf and an array of pillows. Her own little reading corner.

Upon seeing the room, she gasped, spinning in a circle as she took it all in. She walked over to the toy chest they had set up in another corner and David took it upon himself to show her some of the toys they had bought her.

Patrick watched on, a content smile on his face. This all felt right to him.

He and Jenna quietly left the room to go over some of the necessary paperwork. When they returned, his heart stuttered in his chest. He watched as David, cuddled up with Malia on the collection of pillows, read from The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

His heart had never been so full.

Jenna eventually left, telling both men to call her if there were any problems or concerns. That left the three of them, staring at each other, faces silently asking,

‘What do we do now?’

Patrick eventually decided it was time for dinner. He attempted to engage Malia by asking what she liked. When he didn’t get much of a response, he would suggest specific foods and watch her shake her head. When he finally suggested pasta, he got an enthusiastic nod, which made him smile.

David asked her if she wanted to watch, getting another nod in return. He picked her up and sat her on the kitchen counter. Patrick smiled and explained everything he was doing, the little girl nodding along, her eyes hyper-focused as her legs swung back and forth.

Dinner was a success and before long it was time for bed. Malia picked out another story, which David read, as she snuggled between the two of them, and Patrick sang her Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, which she loved. They both watched as she drifted off to sleep, letting out matching relieved sighs. As they exited her room, David voiced what they both had been thinking:

“Day 1 down.”

***

They both took that entire week off, wanting to devote their time to Malia and help her get acclimated to their home. They enlisted a rotation of Stevie, Alexis, and Mr. Rose to watch the store.

During that week, Malia slowly began to warm up to both of them. She asked questions, laughed, and was able to tell them what she did and didn’t like.

Like the first day they met, she took to David first, reaching for him if she wanted to be snuggled or picked up. It took a little longer for Patrick, but she loved his singing voice, so that always brought her closer to him. Plus, she seemed to understand that David loved and trusted Patrick, so maybe she could too.

Overall, their first week as foster parents had been a success. They decided to gently ease Malia into their routine the next week, with one of them working the store each day.

As Patrick said goodbye the first day, he could tell she was more subdued than she had been the past week, accepting his hug and the kiss to her hair, but refusing to meet his eyes, a pout on her face. He and David said their goodbyes to each other and he finally made his reluctant exit.

It seemed to be the instant the door closed behind Patrick that the screaming began.

David turned in alarm, watching as Malia sprinted for her bedroom.

He stood there frozen for a minute, trying to process what had just happened, before he followed her into her room.

As he entered, he didn’t see her at first, which scared him, but he soon heard rustling and whimpering coming from beneath her bed.

Cautiously, he approached, softly kneeling down and lifting the skirt of her bed.

“Hey there,” he called gently, doing his best to keep his tone light. “What are you doing down there? Won’t you come out?”

He watched her shake her head emphatically, another whimper coming from her throat.

David’s heart hurt. It had only been a week, but he felt such a strong attachment to Malia. He couldn’t bear to see her upset, and he was fairly certain it had to do with Patrick’s departure.

Decision made, he reached up to her bed, pulling down one of her pillows and placing it under his head before laying down on the floor, getting as close as he could since he couldn’t fit under the bed.

Malia eyed him with confusion.

“What are you doing?” she asked around a sniffle.

“Well,” David responded. “You’re down here, so I’m gonna hang out down here too.”

He could see the surprise on Malia’s face, though she tried her best to hide away under her bed.

“I know this is scary. You’re in a new place and it’s unfamiliar. It’s new to us, too. We’ve never done this before. And I know-” He paused, unsure if this was a conversation he should be having with a 3-year-old, but he figured it couldn’t hurt. “I know you’re scared of being left behind. A lot of people have left me too.” He watched her eyes grow in surprise again. “A lot of people who I thought loved me, but eventually left me behind, looking for something different, something better. But then I met Patrick. He was the first person to ever truly love me. He was the first person who stayed. And let me tell you something. I know it may be hard to believe right now, but we are not going to leave you. Yes, we will have to go to work, like Patrick did today, and you will eventually have to go to school, but we will always be here. We love you already, Malia, and we’re going to hold on tight, okay? We’re not leaving you.”

David’s heart was beating out of his chest. He had failed. He failed at making her feel safe. He had just given her this long speech that she probably didn’t understand and she’d probably never trust them again and-

His thoughts were cut off as he watched her crawl her way out from under her bed and curl up against his chest.

The flood of emotions he felt at that moment was overwhelming. He did his best to keep the tears he felt stirring behind his eyes at bay. He just held on tightly.

***

When Patrick arrived home that night, he slowly opened the door, unnerved at the quiet of his home. As he made his way past the living room, he stopped short.

David was passed out on the couch, Malia snoring softly, cuddled up against his chest. The dvd menu of some children’s movie was playing in the background. Unable to resist, Patrick took out his phone and snapped a few pictures.

Wanting the sleeping two to get a few more minutes of rest, he made his way to the kitchen, where there sat a plate wrapped in aluminum foil with a note attached to the top.

‘Welcome home! Enjoy! We had fun making them (and not burning the house down).

Love,

D&M’

Smiling, Patrick unwrapped the plate and stuck one of the maple leaf-shaped cookies in his mouth. He made his way to the living room, cookie still hanging between his teeth, to wake up his new family.

He loved the sound of that.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed. There will be a part 2 that deals with Malia's actual adoption coming soon.


End file.
